Receive the latest local updates in your inbox

One of the last things a driver wants to see is an oncoming motorist with his or her head down, absorbed in a text message. The last thing that texting driver might well see is the message on the screen.

It’s dangerous, it’s stupid, and it could be on the way to becoming illegal in Arlington if City Councilman Robert Rivera gets his way. Rivera recently asked fellow council members to consider a proposal to ban texting from the driver’s seat throughout the city. If the move results in a citywide ordinance, Arlington would become just the second major city in Texas, following El Paso, to ban the activity.

Is just makes sense, though. According to an earlier report by NBCDFW, drivers distracted by their cell phones caused 700 accidents last year in North Texas, four of which were fatal.

Rivera’s proposal comes at a timely juncture. A study released by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says we’re in the midst of the 100 deadliest driving days for teens.

Arlington and all Texas cities prohibit using cell phones and other handheld messaging devices in active school zones. Rivera said he wants to take the ban to the next level, which might prevent some people from entering the next plane.

I mean, is there any message so important that someone is willing to risk a life to send it, and if so, will the final dispatch read, “O sht”?

Bruce Felps owns and operatesEast Dallas Times, an online community news outlet serving the White Rock Lake area. He never texts when driving. He can barely text as it is while sitting on the couch.